Nothing is worse than bad career advice. If it looks like sour advice and tastes like leather, then it’s bad career advice. If advice received from friends family sounds like a trick or gimmick, although useful at times, cannot be the pattern of your job search. Every now and then an act of boldness will stand out in a deluge of applicants, as long as the cost is minimal in the big picture.
Advice can always be modified and customized to the situation. These are my suggestions to remedy outdated advice:
1. “It’s all about perception, so you are not lying.”
Good hiring managers will sniff out illusions, especially if the resume lacks plausible claims about the experience. If your resume sounds more like a job description, then perception becomes a delusion. The Fix: Stick with the facts. The more measures and metrics offered on a resume, the more you stand out.
2. “Just show up! You don’t need a resume!”
Yes, anyone can get an interview without a resume, but showing up without one is a mistake. Do everything you can to show diligence throughout the hiring process. The Fix: It never hurts to have your resume in tow, or easily accessible at all times. Don’t treat it like a flyer, instead, treat it more like a letter of intent.
3. “Just to need to spend some time on CareerBuilder and Monster.”
If the job hunt was that easy, then unemployment would be less than 1%. The Fix: Try everything! Networking and informational interviews will put you in front of influential people. Isn’t that the goal?
4. Any statement that anyone starts, “All you have to do…”
The Fix: You have my permission to turn his or her volume down, or turn your volume up. You can also turn them off if you can do so without violence. Any one who starts their advice offer with, “All you…” deserves it.
5. List only the years, and not the months.
This worrisome strategy triggers more questions than it answers. The Fix: Employers understand that gaps occur, and a job seeker that is forthright with correct month and dates will get the call back for interviews.
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About Mark Anthony Dyson
My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.